THE CAUCUS: MUSIC; Waxing Lyrical

By PATRICK HEALY

Published: March 6, 2007

The last time Merle Haggard, the country singer, voted in a presidential election was 1984, for Ronald Reagan, a man who gave Mr. Haggard ''a good feeling, simple as that,'' he said.

An independent, Mr. Haggard has decided to vote again, for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and he has started touring with a new song about her candidacy, ''Hillary.''

''She offers more than anyone else,'' Mr. Haggard said in an interview. ''She's got more on-duty experience than anyone in recent memory, with no disrespect to Bill.''

The song, which has drawn cheers and laughter from audiences, cheers her experience and resiliency:

Eight years in the White House

With the know-how we need

When you walk with a leader

You learn how to lead

And who kept her head high

When it could have been down

Who ran the show

When the scandal hit town

This country needs to be honest

Changes need to be large

Something like a big switch of gender

Let's put a woman in charge

Put a woman in charge of the Army

Put a woman in charge of the wheel

The country owes it to Hillary

And Hillary owes it to Bill

Mr. Haggard has heard that Mrs. Clinton knows about the song, though not what she thinks of it. A Clinton adviser had no comment. The singer said he had not noticed much reaction from fans, but acknowledged that some of them might not vote his way. PATRICK
HEALY